By this time, you know that my wife and I grew up in
two very different Christian environments. Actually,
it’s hard to believe there could be two churches
that were any further apart in how they worship.
However, both churches were New Testament believing,
agreed that Jesus Christ was the only begotten son
of God and he came to this earth as man to be an
example for us and to die for us on the cross at
Calvary only to be raised on the third day and he
now is very much alive sitting at the right hand of
God…

There are differences such as the Church of Christ
believing you have to be baptized to be saved and
the Church of God believing in speaking in tongues,
but back when we were young and accepted Jesus the
only thing important to us was that we were sinners
and going to Hell. We also believed the only way to
be saved was to pray to God for forgiveness of our
sin and to ask him into our lives. Yes, I know, you
can make the argument that the Church of Christ puts
additional criteria on being saved, but I have to be
honest with you, at the time I was just under the
assumption that it was part of God’s plan that we
were to be baptized, not that it was part of
salvation.

As time went on, we did learn more about the beliefs
of each church and I will again admit that at times,
we actually believed some of the things these
churches taught. It wasn’t until after we started
with the Southern Baptist that we started to see
some of these differences as being incorrect and as
we grew, we started to form even stronger beliefs
based on what the Bible really had to say.

Now that’s not to say that the Southern Baptist
agreed among themselves on all issues. I remember at
one time when our Pastor presented his theory on how
the universe was really formed by God and how it
more than likely was million of years as many
scientist now say instead of the literal 6 days that
God says it took. When you hear some of this stuff
you really start to think that it might be so. It
just goes to show you how easily we can be deceived
when the devil is at work.

I know that most individuals who call themselves
Christians will argue that the basic beliefs that we
have are all the same. But is it? The more you study
the Bible’s history and that of the church, you find
that there are substantial differences many of which
were influenced by the Catholic church. Now you may
not agree with us, but the Catholic church is way
off the mark. They have put man on the same level as
Christ, tell you that you cannot possibly understand
the Bible and that they must interpret it for you
instead of the Holy Spirit, and many, many
additional things that the Bible never has taught.

So what do you believe? Well, I’m glad you asked. We
base our beliefs on what we learn from God’s word
and God’s word alone.

To start off with, you have to believe that the Holy
Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the
verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The
scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed
and, therefore, are the final authority for faith
and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New
Testament are the complete and divine revelation of
God to Man. The Scriptures should be interpreted
according to their normal grammatical-historical
meaning and the King James Version of the Bible is
the true interpretation (I know many of you will
take exception to this but feel free to contact us
with your questions) of the original scriptures. (II
Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21)

Based on the above;

We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in
three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each
co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature,
co-equal in power and glory, and having the same
attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt..28:19;
II Cor. 13:14; John 14:10, 26)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal
Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God,
having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of
the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God
and redeem sinful men. (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35;
John 1:1-2, 14; II Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil.
2:5-8)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished
our redemption through His death on the cross as a
representative, vicarious, substitutionary
sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure
by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.
(Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; I Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7;
I Pet. 1:3-5)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to
Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God
where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry
of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts
1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I John 2:1-2)

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who
convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of
judgment; and, that He is the supernatural agent in
regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body
of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day
of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; I Cor.
12:12-14; Eph. 1:13-14)

We believe that He is the divine Teacher who assists
believers in understanding and appropriating the
Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of
all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Eph.
1:17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20, 27)

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of
spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses
evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip
believers in the church in order that they can do
the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor.
12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12)

We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit,
such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing
were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the
common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling
of the Holy Spirit, and that ultimate deliverance of
the body from sickness or death awaits the
consummation of our salvation in the resurrection,
though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers
of believers for physical healing. (I Cor. 1:22;
13:8; 14:21-22)

We believe that man was created in the image and
likeness of God; but that in Adam’s sin the human
race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became
alienated from God. We believe that sin is anything
that does not conform to the character and nature of
God (I John 3:4). Man is totally depraved and, of
himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost
condition. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23;
Eph. 2:1-3, _4:17-19)

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought
to man by grace and received by personal faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed
on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We
believe that salvation involves three things for the
believer: deliverance from the penalty of sin at the
moment of regeneration, victory over the power of
sin during the Christian life, and deliverance from
the presence of sin at the return of Christ. (John
1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; I Pet. 1:18-19; I John 1:9)

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are
kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ
forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 38-39; I
Cor. 1:4-8; I Pet. 1:4-5)

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to
rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through
the testimony of God’s Word. (I John 5:11-13)

We believe that we are called with a holy calling,
separated unto the Lord and from the world, to walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, and to
live in the power of the indwelling Spirit so that
we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. And the
flesh, which is our old sinful nature, which in this
life is never eradicated, needs to be constantly
reckoned dead, and our new life yielded to the
control of the Holy Spirit (II Cor. 6:14-17; Gal.
5:16-25; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 2:1-10, 3:1-17; I Pet.
1:14-16; I John 2:15-16; Rom. 6:6-13).

We believe that the local church, which is the body
and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up
of saved persons. (I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 11:2;
Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)

We believe that the establishment of local churches
is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament
Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Tim.
3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

We believe in the autonomy of the local church of
which Jesus Christ is the head. It is free of any
external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4;
15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; I Cor. 5:4-7, 13; I
Pet. 5:1-4)

We believe water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as
the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the
church in this age. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; I
Cor. 11:23-26)

We also believe in that blessed hope, the personal,
imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His
church prior to the seven-year tribulation period.
We also recognize there are other studied
eschatological positions which believe in the
literal, bodily, pre-millennial return of Christ. At
the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally
and visibly return with His saints, to establish His
earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the
nation of Israel. (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech.
14:4-11; I Thess. 1:10; I Thess. 4:13-18; Titus
2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)

In other words, we believe the Bible and all that it
has for us. We don’t need someone else’s
interpretation, their added points of view or
additions for clarification or any other such
nonsense. You take the pure Word of God and study
it. You read what other like believers have had to
say regarding His word and you pray for Wisdom and
Understanding. And you trust in the Holy Spirit to
guide you in all facets of your life, it’s that
simple…